By Joshua Bowling | Arizona Republic
Avondale leaders want a small slice of land in the Gila River Indian Community on metro Phoenix’s southwestern fringe.
The city views the land as crucial for expansion.
The Avondale City Council voted in June to buy just more than 18 acres of the tribal land south of the Estrella Mountains to connect to 35,000 acresof non-tribal land the city expects to eventually annex.
Avondale is still dotted by family farms and agriculture, but the Estrella Mountains and the land to the south is untouched desert.
Mayor Kenneth Weise believes the area could become the west side’s “north Scottsdale” and hopes to see light development, hiking trails and horseback trails crop up in coming years.
